


look on the flip side, it coulda gone real bad

by sandpapersnowman



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Choking, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7873642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandpapersnowman/pseuds/sandpapersnowman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt's done yet another douchey parkour kick thing to the gun in Frank's hands, and tonight was just <i>not</i> the night for Matt to bother him.</p><p>Realistically, Matt probably shouldn't have anyway; he's in no shape to fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	look on the flip side, it coulda gone real bad

**Author's Note:**

> title from Eagles of Death Metal's [Eagles Goth](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eaglesofdeathmetal/eaglesgoth.html)

Frank pins him to the hard brick behind them, down in some alley after Matt's ruined another of Frank's nights, and he's practically _snarling_.

"What do I have to do to get you to lay off, Red? Huh?" He leans more into his arm across Matt's throat and Matt chokes. "I'd really rather not kill you, but you're _really_ testing me tonight."

A wound from the night before has opened under his suit from the two of them fighting. He shouldn't have fought Frank for so long tonight, really; he's hurt and needs rest more than another punch to the face. But he can't let him kill so many people on his little outings, and, he'd never admit, there's something _different_ about fighting with Frank. It’s almost _fun_.

"You could stop killing people?" Matt suggests, weak and joking, grinning at Frank even as he feels blood from his bitten cheek start to pool behind his lower lip.

Frank doesn't find it as funny as Matt does, and his arm cuts off as much air as it can through his suit.

He's already on his toes because Frank had pinned him at the same height he'd thrown him against the wall at, but his legs shake now from the effort of holding himself up and he finds Frank's arm on his throat to be the only thing keeping him up.

Frank drops him when it’s been long enough his senses start going fuzzy, and Matt faintly hears him mumble a surprised "Oh, shit" when Matt collapses.

He drops without a second thought to make sure he hasn't actually killed or seriously hurt him, and is holding his face in his hands when he notices... Everything. The day-old cuts and bruises on his face that he hadn't put there, the blood beginning to seep through his suit where he'd reopened that wound, just how _weakly_ Matt pushes his hands off his face.

"Christ, Red."

To Matt's surprise, Frank doesn't try to force him up, and instead stays down with him. 

"Should I, like, get you to a hospital or somethin'?"

Matt laughs, and even that hurts.

"I'm fine, thanks."

He can tell Frank's raised his eyebrows at him, and his grin is there just a bit.

"Really? You don't look fine."

Matt smiles back, in innocent confidence.

"Really," he says, and forces himself to stand. 

Frank rises with him, slowly, hands halfway out to catch him if he loses his balance so he doesn't eat pavement.

Matt makes it on his feet, though it's a close thing. He swallows. He really shouldn't have fought Frank tonight.

"I wouldn't object to you helping me get home, though," he admits, in a tone that he means to be light but ends up sounding pleading. Like he doesn't know if he can physically make it home without Frank keeping him from falling.

Which, yeah, is about right, but Frank doesn't need to know that.

(He probably also doesn’t need to know where Matt lives, but Matt’s already caught the smell of gunpowder and cheap coffee lingering in his apartment more than once.)

"Sure," Frank blurts out. 

He's a weird mix of emotions right now, but Matt can pull a few off him; kind of sorry that he beat the shit out of him, kind of surprised at himself for saying he'll help him home, and just a hint of refraining from innuendo. Matt grins at that one.

Then he passes out. His last thought is that he's sure Frank can think of how to carry him back without being too obvious, despite their outfits and it really not being that late at night.

(He wakes up on his own couch later, with Frank's smell all over his apartment again. He smiles to himself; Frank’s still there, his breathing and still-worried heartbeat pacing with a glass of water.)

(He makes sure he isn’t smiling and looks properly hurt and needy when he innocently calls out, “Frank?”)

**Author's Note:**

> i'm experimenting w actually writing summaries instead of using excerpts, so!! if you dont feel like the summary fit the story well, let me know!!
> 
> did you know you can find me on [tumblr](http://sandpapersnowman.tumblr.com/ao3direct)? : O


End file.
